Mike Fletcher

Council meetings are supposed to be forums for debate.

Councillors’ questions and opinions should be the heart and soul of public meetings, all designed to keep our lawmakers on track so they can get the best results for ratepayers,

Not so at the Ōpōtiki District Council, which is more accustomed to rubber-stamping reports arising from committee meetings and workshops.

Not if last week’s slap-down of Councillor Tom Brooks is anything to go by.

He questioned aspects of an extremely detailed and potentially far-reaching report on the on-going move to provide more housing land and offer space for commercial activity at Hukutaia.

Most councillors and the mayor reckon ratepayers at Hukutaia should fund the putting in of infrastructure to attract developers, who will then help defray the costs.

And they say a zoning change for development should be done as soon as possible.

They gave the report the big tick. Only Mr Brooks voted “no”.

The Brooks’ queries appeared to upset/frustrate Mayor David Moore, who did not encourage the queries.

This is the council’s latest go at making it possible to put up dwellings, perhaps including lots of social housing, and allowing commercial activity.

All of which has the potential to dramatically change the quiet, leafy nature of the area.

Last week’s report talked in general terms about housing and commercial stuff.

And it contained an interesting sentence: “Delays in adopting the plan change may compromise mana whenua’s ability to maximise the potential of the Whakatōhea Hospital site.”

The last bid to get ratepayers – many of whom are retired and on fixed incomes – to fund sewers and stuff and quit their septic tanks at Hukutaia/Woodlands was firmly rejected.

In the term of the Lyn Riesterer council, Mr Moore pointed out that according to a council report, there were hundreds of unoccupied housing lots in town.

Now he is promoting the land change for Hukutaia.

Mr Moore should explain his change of heart and the need for the rush.

Some estimates on what ratepayers can expect to pay – initially and on-going – will be useful, too.